Electric switch.



C J. S. CROSSLEY.

ELECTRIC SWITCH...

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 1914.

1 M2511; Patented Jan. 23,1917.

51 40 52 31 54 r a: w 1 1 J7 49 Z4- Z5 F 18i 0 g 3 Z .3 37 -29. Y 30 21 j locked JAMES s. cnossrnr, or soLvAY, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jain. as, 121W.

Application filed October 29, 1914. Serial 1] 0. 869,285.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. CRossLnY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Solvay, county of Onondaga, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful so that it will not work loose from the base which supports it.

The above and other objects and the novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawing in which,'.

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a.switch embodying my invention in place on an electric lamp socket, the outer inclosing shell of the latter being omitted; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the switch mechanism and the base on which it is supported; Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the switch removed from'the base; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts of the switch mechanism shown disassembled.

- Referring to the drawing and particu-.

larly Figs. 1 and 2, the lamp socket com prises the usual insulating buttons or bases A and B which are recessed as at 10 and 11 in their abutting faces to form a cavity within Which the switch works. base 18 has the usual screw shell 12 secured to its outer side, the screw shell 12 being electrically connected to a line terminal, not shown, which is secured to the upper button A and fits in the recess 13 of the lower button B. Another line terminal 14 secured in a recess-15 in the bottom button B is connected by means of a plate 16 with a vertical switch contact 17 located" on the opposite side of the recess 11 from the switch contact 18. Both the switch contacts 17 and 18 are curved outwardly at their upper ends as shown and the switch contact 18 is connected by a bent plate 19 with The lower 21 which extends centrally through the base.

The bases A and B and the shell 12 are fastened together by suitable screws not shown which extend through the holes 22 as is usual.

The switch contacts 17 and 18 are spaced apart a suitable distance in the recess 11 and a switch member-.23 is operated by a key 24 to open and close the circuit between said contacts.

The switch member 23 consists of a single strip of conducting material bent U-shaped or into a stirrup and having a transversely extending part 25 which connects and is formed integral with the two substantially parallel parts 26 and 27. The arms 26 and 27 are each bent outwardly as at 28 and then again parallel to the sections 26 and 27 as at 29. The portions 29 are pierced at their ends. to provide holes 30 to receive lugs 31 formed integral andextending outwardly from a supportin frame F, whereby the switch member 23 1s pivotally supported by the frame F at a point between the top and bottom of the frame.

The frame F is made of a single plate of metal and has a bottom portion 32 which is integrally joined to two parallel side members 33and 34, the side member 34 being broken away in Fig. 4 to more clearly show the end members'35 and 36 which are also integrally connected to the bottom 32. The

' sides and ends are arranged at right angles to the bottom'32 and the frame is secured to the base B by a'screw 37 engaging a hole 38 in the bottom 32.

" vhe lateral sides 33 and 34 of the frame F are each cut away at their forward ends outwardly and are disposed in the path of the bends or shoulders 28 on the switch member 23 so as to provide stops for the switch 'member on each side of'its swing or oscillation on the pivot lugs 31, as will be apparent from a' later description of the operation.

The key 24 for operating the switch is disposed outside of the cavity formed by the recesses 10 and 11 and is securely fastened to a spindle 42 journale'd in recesses 43 and 44 in the end parts 35- and 36' of the frame F. Two elliptical cams 45 and 46 are fixed on the spindle 42 in such a position that their major axes are disposed at right angles to each other, the. cams being spaced apart by a sleeve 47 on the spindle 42. The cams 45 and 46 and the intermediate sleeve are disposed between the upright parts 35 and 36 and a lug 48 fixed on the spindle on sists of a plate 50, a pin 51 and a spiral' spring 52. The plate 50 has a transverse bend 53 intermediate its ends, the lower side of which rests on the sleeve 47 and the upper side serves as a groove to receive the cross pin 54 which holds the plate 50 in place and forms a fulcrum or pivot therefor on which the plate may oscillate. The spindle 42 may be rotated in either direction by the key 24 and the pivoted switch actuating plate 50 will therefore operate the switch when the key is turned in either direction.

The pin 54 performs an important function in addition to its function as a pivot or fulcrum for the oscillating plate 50 since it projects through the holes 55 in the opposite sides 33 and 34 of the frame F and laterally from said side members of the frame into notches 56 and 57 in the top face of the base B. The notches 56 and. 57 open into the lateral faces of the recess in which the frame F is mounted and also opening into the top face of the insulating member B as shown in Fig. 2. The notches 56 and 57 receive and closely fit around the ends of the cross pin 54 and thereby lock the upper end of the frame securely in place in its recess so that it will not be permitted to swivel about the securing screw 37. The bottom face of the insulating member A abuts against the top face of the insulating member B and consequently closes the notches 56 and 57 at the top but permits the frame F and the pin 54 thereon to be readily assembled in place in the recess in the bottom insulating member. In practice I have found that a single screw carrying the frame or yoke for supporting the switch mechanism is not a sufiicient fastening means as the operation of the mechanism tends to turn the yoke or frame about the screw and considerable damage may result if the frame moves. Therefore I have supplemented the securing screw 37 with a steadying device in the form of the pin 54 which also serves as a fulcrum for the oscillating plate 50.

At one end the pin 51 has a head 58 provided with an eye 59 and an entrance slot 60 which leads into the eye 59. The entrance slot 60 is narrower than the width of the eye 59 and is of'sufiicient width to receive theedge of a transverse lug 61 provided by cutting openings 62 and 63 in one end of the oscillating plate 50, the said end of the plate being bent as at 64 at right angles to the body of the plate having the transverse bend 53 therein. The transverse part 61 in the right angle bend 64, however, is wider than the entrance slot 60 of the head 58 so that .the plate 50 and the pin 51 will not come apart by a pull when they are in line or even at a slight angle to each other, it being only possible to assemble and disassemble them by passing the cross part .61 edgewise into the entrance slot 60, the parts then being at right angles to each other and the opening 62 being of suificientsize to permit the necessary {angular movement between the two pieces 50 and 51. .T he end of the pin 51 projects through a hole 65 in the transverse part 25 of the switch member 23 when the parts are assembled and the spiral spring 52 fits around the pin 51, one end thereof pressing against.the shoulder 66 of the head 58 and the other end pressing against the inner side of the transverse part 25 of the switch member.

The plate 50 being pivoted above or to one side of the operating spindle 42 and the switch member 23 being pivoted on an axis below the pivot of the plate 50, when the plate 50 is rocked on its pivot the switch member 23 will be thrown from one side to the opposite side about its pivot with a snap action by the oscillation of the head of the pin due to the oscillation of the plate 50. Changing the position of the head 58 of the pin from one side to the opposite side of the pivotal connection between the switch member 23 and the frame causes the spring 52 to be tensioned while crossing the pivotal point of the switch member 23 and released when the head 58 reaches the opposite side of the pivot of the switch member 23.

. The plate 50 is operated by the cams 45 and 46 engaging the under side of the plate 50 onopposite sides of the pivot pin 54. The cams being substantially in the form of ellipses and placed with their axes at right angles to each other will rock the switch member 23 from open to closed position or vice versa every quarter turn of the key 24. As shown in the figures the right hand end of the plate 50 will be raised by the high points of the cam 45 and the switch will be open whenever the key is moved into such a position that the cam 45 engages the under side of the plate 50. On the other hand when the cam 46 engages the underside of the plate the left hand end of the plate 50 The operation of theswitch will be apparent from the foregoing description and while I have shown and described the construction in detail I do not wish to be limited to the exact devices employed as numerous changes Within the scope of the claims may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is,

1. In an electric switch, the combination,

of two insulatingemembers secured together face to face and having registering cavlties in their abutting faces'to provide a switch chamber, switch mechanism in said chamber comprising a frame having sides, ends and a bottom, a fastening device engaging the bottom of said frame and the insulating member in which the frame is fitted to se-v cure the frame in the cavity therein, a rotatable operating member mounted in the ends of said frame, a switch member, a pivoted switch actuating device operable by said rotatable member, and a pin upon which said device is pivoted, said pin being mounted in the sides of said frame with the opposite ends of said pin projecting beyond the sides of the frame, one of'said insulating members having oppositely disposed similar recesses opening into the cavity therein and also opening into the face thereof which abuts against a face on the other insulating member, said similar recesses being adapted to receive the projecting ends of said pin and prevent the frameswiveling on said fastening device when said roin the ends of said frame and rotatable in either direction, a switch member, a pivoted switch actuating device operable by turning said spindle in either direction, and a pin upon which said device is pivoted, said pin being disposed at right angles to the spindl'e and mounted in the sides of said frame, the opposite ends of said pin projecting beyond the outer sides of said frame, the insulating member to which said frame is secured having oppositely disposed similar recesses opening into the cavity therein and also opening into the topface thereof and adapted to receive and closely -fit around the projecting ends of said pin and prevent the frame swiveling on said screw when the spindle is turned in either direction to operate the switch. Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES S. CROSSLEY. Witnesses:

IJA. SIDNAM, M. R. CRossLEY. 

